This invention relates to incorporating equipment used in landscaping and gardening by walking attendants, specifically to mounting different combinations of components on a single, basic structure to accomplish unique tasks.
In the field of standard parts that yield multipurpose equipment for walking attendants inventors have done very little relative to other fields, such as wood shop machines. This trend results in part from the dominance of the riding tractor and attachments there to, such as mower decks, snow removers, and dozer blades. However, designers have failed to adapt the so called garden tractor to cultivating a growing vegetable garden, or to edging, shredding, mixing, and separating. The aforementioned trend also stems from not recognizing emerging pollution requirements and farmland conservation efforts. Nonpolluting engines raise first cost and maintenance. The smaller landscaped plots of the future; which will be intricate, manicured, separated, and sloping; will probably require walk behind equipment exclusively. If tractor drawn equipment survives, it will require increased supplementary action from walk behind implements. However, the prior art provides only complex special units for walking attendants.
Common characteristics of equipment operated and serviced by walking attendants that till, grade, shred, edge, mow, and remove snow include for each piece; (1) an individual power plant, usually a gasoline engine that creates a fire hazard when the tank is undrained; (2) many nonstandard parts that elevate first cost and maintenance; (3) bulk which is difficult to clean, store, or transport to a rental or service agency; (4) a unique application that occurs seasonally and infrequently. These disadvantages manifest excessive capital, maintenance, storage, and transportation expenditures.
The general problem is, therefore, how to reduce capital and operating costs for walk behind equipment that till, grade, shred, edge, mow, and remove snow. One implement with a single engine that would perform all six tasks would be ideal. From a practical view point some adjustment would be necessary such as manipulating controls and adding and deleting components. Since grading, mowing, and removing snow require a forward and backward motion, a high response, console controlled mechanism for reversing rotation is required. Fundamentally, the effort by the operator to assemble and operate the custom implements must not exceed the savings in capital and operating expenditures realized from incorporating.
In response to the general problem and disadvantages cited inventors created limited systems of implements and torque reversing techniques. U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,541 to Adams (1970) shows a wet lands tiller with buoyant shoes and a torque reversing system controlled by a lever that activates a separate hydraulic system. Adams's machine demonstrated the feasibility of wet lands tilling using a large commercial machine with buoyant shoes. However, the torque reversing technique is too complex and costly for residential equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,671 to Mays (1981) shows a kit for converting a rotary tiller into a plow. However, the plow cuts a narrow, shallow furrow that appears suitable only for planting. U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,969 to Wilson (1982) shows a reversing mechanism activated by raising or lowering the engine. The mechanism, which is extensive and cumbersome, complicates mounting the engine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,459 to Resume (1985) shows a reversing transmission for a tiller. However, the gears employed make it prohibitively expensive. U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,599 to Zinck (1986) shows a counterrotating tiller with wings that vary the distance between output shafts and thereby adapt to different sizes of rotative tines. However, the machine is limited to tilling. U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,536 to O'Neal (1989) shows a rotary cultivator with a dethatcher means that replaces tines. However, the machine functions on only two tasks, i.e., cultivating and dethatching. U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,047 to Kobashi et, el (1989) shows a rotary tilling device that also mows. The device applies to tractors. U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,476 to Rau (1993) shows a system for simultaneous ground soil preparation and sowing. However, the machine is tractor powered for commercial use. U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,552 to Lee, et, el (1993) shows a reversible machine that can be altered to till, mow, or remove snow. However, reversing is not controllable from a console and the reel type mower is limited in application. Several manufacturers offer rear tine tillers with dozer blade attachments. However, the high speed used on the rear tines dulls the tine cutting edges in rocky soil. None of the references cited incorporate more than three types of machines. Nevertheless specific problems remain for the average landscape manager using walk behind equipment. A budget, schedule, and plot layout limit storage facilities and expenditures for equipment and hired help. The operator mixes and separates by hand, waits for soil to dry before cultivating, loosens hard ground with a pick, and improvises ballast on tillers. He does not attempt simultaneous moldboard and chisel plowing, rolling and aerating, or aerating and dethatching. He rolls lawns with leg power, scoops with a scoop shovel, lifts with his back, ascends ramps with a hand truck, transports cross country with a wheel barrow, an fights forest fires with a garden hose. Since manufacturers lock in the user with pedantic instructions for unalterable, single purpose equipment, they deny the manager/operator use of certain creative abilities and special knowledge of his own plot that could optimize his efforts.